Wet record cleaning and brus hadvice

[diviy]

Looking for a new brush to use with my Moth record machine .
I have the Moth brush but the fibres are about one inch long and just does not seem to be cleaning the records as it used to and getting loads of static pops after a clean.
My home made fluid is
Isopropyl Alcohol, distilled water and Ilford ilfortol
I used to use dish washer rinse aid before going over to the Ilford and since swapping wetting agent static seems to be worse
Ratio is 80% water 20% ipa and 10ml of ilfotol in a one litre mix .
. So just wondering what you guys use ?

[Phil Bishop]

I had a Moth for a while (before it blew up) and I replaced it with the cheaper Pro-Ject machine.

I imagine I'll get shot down in flames but personally I don't think the brush does much more than spread the solution out so it can penetrate the grooves. I think it's the solution penetrating the grooves and possible agitation by the brush that mobilises the crud which is then vacuumed out.

I never made up my own brew but relied on proprietary makes - I used the Moth solution for the Moth and also Art Du Son (which I think did the machine in because it was not designed for it). I use the Pro-Ject solution with my ProJect RCM and high quality distilled water.

Static pops is probably a misleading term - if you have static after a wet clean there's something seriously amiss I reckon - maybe over-drying?

I do think it's important to replace the felt pads on the vacuum arm regularly as I imagine after a while they could end up depositing crud rather than removing it.

Personally, I don't get too anal about record cleaning. Wet the record, a couple of rotations each way working the solution in, a couple of revolutions each way vacuuming it out. I don't think repeated cleaning achieves much.

Cheers

Phil

[alphaGT]

I have a few brushes that I use. I’ve got a VPI brush, left over from their RCM that crapped out on me. And the natural bristle brush that came with the Pro-Ject, but I mostly use the Mobile Fidelity brush, an outrageous $20, but it scrubs dirty Records better than the others. Like Phil says, just letting the solution stand on the record for a few minutes is probably the most productive thing, I’ve got some Enzyme solution from Mofi that helps get really cruddy albums clean. The Mobile Fidelity brush has a replaceable surface, I’ve got some but it hasn’t needed replacing yet. And it soaks up a lot of fluid, so I wipe it on the vacuum nozzle after cleaning to clean the brush.

I’ve read that after scrubbing, or just leveling the fluid for a few minutes, you should only allow the record to be vacuumed for about two rotations, anything more will cause static from the lip brushes rubbing the record. And it seems the depth of a record groove is smaller than the bristle on almost every brush, it’s impossible for the brush to reach the bottom of the groove. Some Carbon Fiber brushes have super small bristles to help get down deeper, but at some point, you have to depend on the fluid to clean the very bottoms of the grooves.

Russell

[Audioflyer]

I use a cheap paint pad to apply the wetting solution, I've found they work better than using a brush or a cloth

http://www.wilko.com/paint-brushes+rollers/wilko-paint-pad-large/invt/0344912

Sharif.

[speedracer]

I use a cheap paint pad to apply the wetting solution, I've found they work better than using a brush or a cloth

http://www.wilko.com/paint-brushes+rollers/wilko-paint-pad-large/invt/0344912

Sharif.

I was intrigued when I saw you mention this method a while ago & bought one to try, but sonn went back to the goat hair brush I normally use, I just think it does it better, plus is easier to use.

[sq225917]

The Mofi pad. Replace fabric with a cotton corduroy fabric to help eliminate static once the original supplied pad wears.